Monday, November 25, 2013

Miserable life of a tooth.

The patient was nervous... I saw his hands were trembling. The usual chit chats to the new patients is not working, I could clearly see that.The dentist hasn't yet finished writing the notes in the previous patient's chart and the receptionist is waiting to ask something about the procedure codes. That and the instruments needed to go to the Statim is making me more pathetic along with the sweating new patient. Asking questions about his teeth may make him talk. Before I even ask him about it, he blurted out, "I have pain on my this tooth", pointing to the upper right side 2nd molar. Mentally I was telling to myself, I must be ready to take 17 PA. Then told the patient, Dr. X will be with him soon and will do something to help. I could clearly see the stained teeth and can be sure, he never get a cleaning done. The smell from the mouth was another thing. Dr.X decided to take out the tooth after discussing the options by presenting the X-ray. The nervous patient going to have an extraction... That is going to be interesting... I don't have to worry about it. I am just an assistant, makings things ready is my job. A short and Lidocaine; I don't want to annoy Dr.X and the next patient. So, when the word extraction fall in to the room, I had the short on the syringe. Lidocaine carpule was placed in the syringe just before he finished it. I felt very proud of me. (Who said I can't appreciate myself!!!)The forceps, the elevators.gauze....The tooth was not a trouble at all to come out. Dr.X placed it on the white tray paper on the counter as usual. It looked like it was so happy to be out of the moth. With the dark tartar around it, it was telling the story of working hard and taken for granted. It was attacked by the acid, and eaten by bacteria. The gums once protecting it was giving up on it. The plaque turned in to tartar and started slowly suffocating it. Now, the end is here!!!!It might not ever got a gentle brushing experience, I could tell from the abrasion mark on it. It never saw a piece of floss, I thought. May be it is saying last farewell to the mouth and wishing good luck to the rest of the teeth...It looked so pathetic against the white paper. When scooping it along with the paper to throw with other biohazard waste, I sent a prayer to the tooth and apologized that it is not my call to instruct the patient about brushing and flossing. Not at least today, not right now, in this office....I sorry tooth, I am not doing any favour for your previous neighbours. Really I am sorry.